The present invention relates to a bike carrier with a preferred embodiment being suited for attachment to a vehicle such as by way of a trailer hitch attachment.
A plurality of bike carrier designs have been developed including complex strap designs that position a bike on the upper surface of a bumper and rely on strap, buckle and trunk hook components to secure the bike to the body of the vehicle. Examples of this type of bike carrier can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,118,018 and 5,038, 980. In addition to the potential damage to the vehicle created by the hook and buckle components, bike carriers of this type are generally limited to single bike support and also often involve a great deal of set up and adjustment.
The prior art also features bike carriers that are designed to extend out away from the rear end of a vehicle from an attachment point in the bumper region of the vehicle such as from a square hitch common on many vehicles, particularly sports utility vehicles or SUV""s. Many of these bicycle carriers include carriers with a relatively lengthy vertical main support bar from the top of which extends horizontal support beams that are provided with clamps or the like to attach to a bicycle generally in an upper region of its frame. Examples of this type of bicycle carrier can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,202; 5,469,997 and 5,373,978. The reliance on bike frame clamps as the sole means of connection can introduce, however, the potential for undesirable degradation of the more susceptible painted frame regions of bicycles and/or the need for expensive materials that are non-scratching and yet also sufficiently weather resistant.
Carriers that attach to a rear end of a vehicle also include carriers that are not designed for attachment to the upper or internal frame structure of a bicycle or other wheeled appliance, but are designed for providing an underlying platform on which the bicycle can be positioned. Prior art examples of this latter type of bicycle carrier include, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,025,932; 5,377,886 ; 5,497,927; and 5,570,825. While these type of carriers typically avoid the drawback of having clamps connecting directly with the bicycle""s upper, interior frame structure, they generally suffer from a plurality of other problems, such as being (1) often highly complex in design; (2) not well suited for avoiding tilting of bikes (e.g., motorbikes or bicycles once loaded); (3) not well suited for ease in bike loading; (4) bulky to the extent of presenting difficulties from the standpoint of, for example, shipping, retailer shelf space requirements and high customer handling weight; and/or (5) formed of a large number of unique components making for high manufacturing and purchase costs as well as difficulty in customer assembly or requiring a large deal of costly preassembly by the manufacturer.
The present invention features a carrier device that is directed at helping to avoid or alleviate various problems such as those described above as being associated with the prior art. The present invention features a carrier device, which in one preferred embodiment, is a bike carrier that is suited for attachment to a rear end of a vehicle such as by way of, for example, a hitch, tow ball platform or bumper attachment. A preferred embodiment of the present invention features a multi-component carrier which is easy to assemble, remove and/or break down and which is highly versatile in accommodating a variety of bike sizes and shapes and, yet, is also user friendly in allowing for ease of moving and positioning the adjustable components, and rapid bike securement.
The present invention has the advantage of being able to have a compact break down arrangement by way of, for example, reduced and common sizing for many of its components, which is beneficial from the standpoint of, for example, shipping container and storage requirements (particularly from the standpoint of minimizing retailer shelf storage space requirements which is at a premium). The arrangement of the present invention is also able to provide numerous bike carrier advantages while still making efficient use of its components so as to avoid the introduction of too large a number of components, particularly a large number of different designed components, which, again, avoids many of the manufacturing, assembly and use difficulties associated with the prior art. Preferred embodiments of the present invention also avoid lengthy and/or heavy single piece components and thus facilitates low stress operator handling.
The present invention also provides a design that allows for rapid loading and unloading of one or more bikes while still providing high stability and position maintenance assurance to the user.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention features a vehicle connection member preferably in the form of a connection bar such as a tubular bar having an end with means for attachment to a vehicle attachment support (e.g. a tubular bar sized for insertion into a vehicle receiver hitch and with aligned receiver hitch pin apertures in the side walls of the bar).
The connection bar provides support (preferably underlying support) to a cross frame structure. The cross frame structure is preferably a multi-frame element structure featuring a first set of frame elements running more transverse than parallel with respect to the connection bar and a second set of frame element(s) running more parallel to the connection bar than the first set of frame elements. In a preferred embodiment, the first set of frame elements of the cross frame structure comprises a pair of bars or cross-bars (e.g. hollow, tubular bars preferably with a quadrilateral cross-section) which are spaced apart relative to the length of elongation of the connection bar and which are positioned transverse to the direction of elongation of the connection bar.
The first pair of bars, which are elongated in the direction transverse to the connection bar, each extend out to opposite sides of the connection bar with the connection bar preferably contacting an intermediate region of each of the first pair of bars (e.g. each side of each of the cross-bars extending out an equal length to respective sides of the connection bar).
The second set of frame elements of the cross frame structure is preferably comprised of a second pair of bars (or interconnecting bars) extending between and in contact with the cross-bars. In a preferred embodiment the interconnecting bars extend transverse to the cross-bars and thus parallel with the connection bar and in-between the two spaced apart cross-bars. The interconnecting bars are spaced apart along the length of the cross-bars preferably to an equal amount inward of respective ends of the cross-bars and also outward of the central point of each cross-bar. Also, the interconnecting bars are preferably spaced away from adjacent respective sides of the connection bar to leave an opening on each side of the connection bar when the cross frame structure is attached to the connection bar. For example, a high stability cross frame structure can be achieved with the interconnecting bars positioned at an intermediate location within respective half sections of the cross-bars (e.g. one quarter in from each end) which halves extend to opposite sides of the connection bar when mounted. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, a double H-frame structure is formed.
The cross frame structure is also preferably formed as a unitary or monolithic member such as by way of welding the interconnecting bars to the cross-bars. Also, the cross-bars are each unitary bars which preferably have connection bar connection means such as bolt holes extending through upper and lower surfaces of an intermediate area of each of the cross-bars for alignment with spaced (preferably pairs) of bolt holes in the connection bar. Also, while less preferred from the standpoint of ease of assembly and structural integrity, the cross-bars and the interconnecting bars can be bolted or otherwise releasably secured (as opposed to a non-releasable arrangement such as in the above noted welded embodiment).
In a preferred embodiment, the cross-frame structure to connection bar connection means provides for one of the cross-bars being positioned so as to be generally commensurate with the free end of the connection bar while the second of the cross-bars is located in an intermediate location of the connection bar. Because of the preferred integrated or unitary nature of the cross frame structure, the two connection locations between the respective cross-bars and the preferably underlying connection bar results in torsion absorption in that the spaced apart connection points of the unitary cross frame structure to the connection bar precludes rotation of the cross frame structure relative to the connection bar.
For low weight, packaging and shelf space purposes, for example, the length of elongation of the cross-bars is made less than the typical length between bicycle front and rear wheel contact points with respect to an underlying support surface(s). With this preferred feature of the cross frame structure, the present invention also preferably includes at least one side rail extending off from the cross-bars and preferably two (one on each end) extending off from the ends of each of the cross-bars. In a preferred embodiment, each cross-bar has a first side rail extending from one end and a second side rail extending from an opposite end of that cross-bar.
For added support surface, the cross frame structure is preferably secured to the upper surface of the connection bar. With this arrangement between the cross-bars and connection bar, it is preferable to have the side rails secured to an underside of the cross-bar ends as this provides for vertical compactness in the assembled bike carrier and a lower bike positioning for added rear window visibility. The attachment means for attaching the side rails to each end of each of the cross-bars is preferably the same for each side rail/cross-bar combination and designed to prevent rotation (e.g. a pair of spaced apart aligned bolt holes in the side rail which correspond to aligned bolt holes in the ends of the cross-bars; although the present invention features other attachments including, but not limited to, other non-rotation connectors such as key-slot with or without bolting, etc). A telescoping arrangement between the side rails and cross-bars is also a feature of an alternate embodiment of the present invention, but a telescoping arrangement entails either the side rails or cross-bars being enlarged (at least at the ends) to receive the telescoping recipient, which is generally less preferable from a material and weight standpoint and component manufacturing requirements.
In a preferred embodiment, the cross-bars have intermediate (e.g. true center) connection points with an underlying connection bar such that the cross-bar halves extend equally out to opposite sides of the connection bar. With this preferred embodiment, there is provided left and right side rails. Also, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the length of each of the side rails is the same as that of the connection bar and to each other. This arrangement facilitates packaging in that the ends can be commonly held in place by a box structure""s side walls (or non-specialized protection package insert such as a thin rectangular foam block or blocks or a thickened cardboard or added cardboard box side wall sheet) and provides for efficient retail shelf size usage. In a preferred embodiment the length of the cross-bars is also made to equal the side rails and connection bar to even further enhance packaging, compactness, and versatility. In an alternate embodiment, the cross frame structure length is even further reduced and the side rails are of a length which is longer than that of the cross-bars. Also, in another preferred embodiment of the invention the cross-section (e.g. vertical when mounted) thickness of the cross-bars (and preferably equal sized/shaped interconnecting bars) is the same as that of the side rails and with each being preferably less than that of the connection bar. One preferred embodiment features the thickness of the side rails and cross-bars being half that of the connection bar such that a double stack of the side rails on the cross frame structure during shipping equals the thickness of the connection bar (again simplifying the packaging). An alternate embodiment (better suited for smaller 1xc2xc hitches) features a connection bar which is greater in thickness by a xc2xc inch or of the same thickness relative to the cross-bars and/or the below described side rails.
A preferred arrangement of the invention also features side rails connected to the cross-bars with securement devices (e.g. fasteners such as a combination of carriage bolts, nuts and washers) working in conjunction, with, for example, aligned holes as the attachment means which are provided in both the end regions of the cross-bars and the end regions of the side rails. With carriage bolts it is preferable to have one hole squared so to lock the carriage bolt head while the remaining aligned holes are circular. Also, to facilitate the avoidance of torsion rotation of the side rails relative to the supporting cross-bars, it is preferable to have a spaced, pair of aligned hole sets in the side rail and cross-bar ends are provided for reception of the securement devices in each set.
The side rails are elongated to a sufficient length to provide for bike wheel tire support to opposite sides of the connection bar (preferably with the end-to-end distance of a larger bike model being commensurate with or more than the total end to end distance between the side rails and attached common cross-bar). Any extension of a tire wheel past the free end of a side rails is preferably accommodated by the extension of a wheel cradle outward of both the tire to underlying support contact point and the free end of the side rail. The wheel cradles are also preferably slideably adjustable and then fixable in position on the side rails. Also, a series of adjustment holes in the cross-bars and side rails is also a feature of the present invention, but a single side rail to cross-bar securement arrangement such as by way of a pair of spaced nut and bolt securement devices is well suited for most intended usages of the present invention, particularly when utilizing adjustable cradles which can readily accommodate different (end to end) sized bicycles.
Thus, in the present invention, there is also preferably included tire cradles such as one for each pair of side rails or more preferably one cradle for each side rail. The cradles preferably comprise looped U-shaped or V-shaped ends with an inclined, divergent bar extension which angles down and inward into a secured arrangement (e.g. weld) with a cradle fastener. The cradle fastener is preferably an adjustable fastener such as a U-shaped bracket designed to conform (e.g. multi-surface frictional contact) with the top and preferably also the two sides of the side rail. A bolt and nut combination such as described above is preferably provided to the cradle""s position fixation bracket as a fastener to achieve compressive retention on the side walls of the bracket against the corresponding surfaces of the side rail upon reaching a desired location for the tire cradle on the side rail. The bolt and nut securement means is preferably positioned on an extra extension of the bracket""s side wall which is sufficiently elongated to extend below the lower surface of the side rails. For example, aligned holes are provided in the lower third or half of the bracket so as to line up under the bottom of the side rail. Various other tire securement devices are also contemplated under the present invention, such as the use of straps either alone or in combination with cradle structures, over-center clamps, etc. Cradle usage is, however, preferred as it allows for relatively short side rail lengths while still providing end-to-end bike support and prevention of tire tilting or tire rotation about the tire contact point.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is further provided one or more stabilizing bars (preferably a total of two) which are designed to extend vertically up off the bike carrier side rails, cross frame structure and/or connection bar. In a preferred embodiment, which has advantages such as easy adjustment and good bike and stabilizer bar stability (e.g. a side-to-side arrangement with a bike frame or plurality of bike frames with adjacent positioned stabilizing bars) the stabilizing bars are adjustable in base position and preferably not relied on, at least directly, for bike weight support. That is, the stabilizing bars are preferably used as a means for maintaining relative vertical bike alignment and/or horizontal plane bike spacing and the stabilizing bars are therefore preferably not relied upon for weight support. The stabilizing bars also provide a ready location for bike locking which would avoid immediate bike pull off theft.
In a preferred embodiment, the stabilizing bars are adjustably supported on the cross frame structure, and even more preferably on the interconnecting bars such as one stabilizing bar for one interconnecting bar and a second stabilizing bar for a second stabilizing bar. The stabilizing bar can be adjusted so as to have one immediately adjacent the exterior of an interior supported bike and a second one immediately interior of an exterior mounted bike.
There can also be avoided, if desired, direct and/or continuous bike frame contact between the stabilizing bars and bike frame either in having the bars spaced and only used in the event of serious movement (e.g. tilting) of the bikes and/or with bridging strapping between the stabilizing bars and connected (xe2x80x9cwrappedxe2x80x9d) to the bike frame. Alternatively, a direct side contact arrangement (e.g. a contact sandwich arrangement) between stabilizing bars and one or more bikes is also a feature under the present invention, in which case a protective coating or layer or base material which avoids bike frame scratches, is also preferably included, particularly if a stabilizing bar is intentionally maintained in direct contact with the bike frame when in an operating position. Although less preferred, rather than a flexible member such as a strap, a more rigid positioning member can extend off the stabilizing bar for engagement with a bike such as a bike frame section (e.g. a semi-rigid expandable and return flexible clamp arrangement or a fixable, non-flexible mechanical clamp arrangement).
The stabilizer bars are preferably connected at their base to respective interconnecting bars of the cross frame structure. Since the stabilizer bars are preferably relied on for stabilizing purposes and not direct support, the underlying bike support (typically bike tire contact) is provided such as by way of the underlying support of side rails. Through the use of tire cradle(s), wheel tie down straps, and/or other bike component tie down strapping as the means for underlying support and position retention of a mounted bike, the stabilizing bars are preferably utilized for stabilizing purposes such as in the event of shifting of bikes during bumpy travel or rapid accelerations/deaccelerations, or due to loose or loosened connections of the aforementioned position retention means. Thus, the stabilizing bars can provide added rotation blockage in and of themselves or more preferably through the use of strapping (e.g. single straps for one bike to one stabilizer or combinations such as a single strap extending between stabilizer bars and wrapped or connected with one or more bikes adjacent to the stabilizer bars) to achieve both internal and external rotation prevention. Loose or tight connection straps associated with the stabilizing bars are suitable for stabilizing purposes as the support and hold down functions are preferably provided without the stabilizing means. The stabilizing bars also facilitate the aforementioned avoidance of pull off bike theft in that they provide a readily accessible location for frame locking either by way of an integrate locking means (e.g. a non-removable flexible lock supported on the stabilizer bar or more preferably a means for fixing a lock such as the below described closed bar loop arrangement).
Preferably, the stabilizer bar(s) have adjustment connectors at their base such as the aforementioned support brackets of the cradles (e.g. a vertical bar welded at its bottom to a U-shaped bracket so that the bracket""s top wall contacts along its lower surface the upper surface of an interconnecting bar while the two side walls of the bracket are spaced apart for frictional slide contact or side-to-side positioning relative to the side surfaces of a supporting interconnecting bar). In addition, the stabilizing bars also preferably have similar compression generating means as that described above for the cradles which compression generating or position fixing means are well suited for final adjustment position maintenance (e.g. the bolt and nut working in conjunction with aligned holes in an over extension of the bracket""s side walls). Alternatively, the base of the vertical stabilizing bars include one or more flanges extending (e.g. horizontally) out from the bottom of the base and having bolt holes or the like for receiving bolts that extend into holes formed through the interconnecting bars. A series of hole sets can be provided for providing multiple positioning of the stabilizing bar relative to a supporting interconnecting bar or member. The interconnecting bar is preferably transverse to the cross-bar to facilitate the sliding adjustment of the same into a desired side of bike positioning such as one that places the stabilizing bar immediately adjacent (e.g. within 0 to 4 inches) the frame structure of the bike. Other truss-like configurations are also possible, however, for the cross-bars and interconnecting bars such as oblique oriented interconnecting bars (e.g. 30 to 60xc2x0 range). A transverse arrangement, however, facilitates in most systems the manufacture and assembly of the cross frame structure into a monolithic structure (e.g. extrusion and transverse cut) and is connectable with a flat interconnecting bar end to a flat interconnecting surface of a cross-bar through welding and, thus, is preferable for most usages.
The stabilizing bars are preferably readily adjustable (e.g. lowering the compression level on a support bracket) along respective interconnecting bars, for example, to accommodate for different shaped and sized bikes. For instance, a positioning of one stabilizer bar on the end region of an interconnecting bar that is farthest from the vehicle (when the carrier is mounted thereon) and, thus, immediately adjacent a bike supported on the outer side rails and located on a preferred location of the bike frame as, depending on the front-to-rear choice of bike mounting, different frame components/orientations are presented. Another stabilizing bar on an end region of another interconnecting bar closest to the vehicle can also be positioned so as to be immediately adjacent a second inside positioned bike or the bar can be shifted more in alignment with the other stabilizing bar for dual strapping/stabilization of one bike. The present invention, thus, provides for the secure positioning of a single or multiple bikes (e.g. 2) and added assurance of the one or more bikes not tilting either in toward the vehicle (and potentially scratching or otherwise damaging the back of the vehicle) or tilting outward away from the vehicle. Depending on the number of bikes and the style of the bike, one or both of the stabilizing bars can be adjusted to various positions along the interconnecting bars to a desired position through adjustment on the supporting interconnecting bars.
The present invention also includes an arrangement where one (or more) stabilizing bar(s) is permanently secured to the interconnecting bar such as by a weld. However, this represents a less desirable alternate embodiment of the invention from breakdown and packaging standpoints, for example. A pivotable stabilizing bar arrangement is also included in the present invention such as one where the stabilizing bar""s main beam is pivotable at its base down into a generally horizontal position (e.g. extending parallel with a cross-bar) and vertically lockable in an upright position (with clevis pin and hole, for example), but again less preferably from the standpoint of packaging compactness and avoiding costly manufacturing requirements is a less desirable embodiment of the invention.
The spacing between the interior surfaces of a pair of stabilizing bars on the interconnecting bars is preferably maintained so as to correspond with the strap length preferably associated with the stabilizing bars.
The stabilizing bars are preferably also dimensioned (e.g. from the upper tip to the lowest edge which can include the bottom edge of a support bracket""s side wall in a preferred embodiment) of a common length as to the cross-bars and/or connection bar which can again, facilitate packaging.
The stabilizing bars also further preferably comprise, such as in an upper half portion thereof, loop members (e.g. flexible such as a wire or strapping, or rigid such as a non-flexible bent bar), or lock thread-through means which are closed off (or lockable in that state) relative to the main beam of the stabilizing bar so as to allow for further strap or lock securement (loose or not) of a bike frame or other bike component to the stabilizing bar.
Thus, the present also preferably comprises a strap member and/or lock device preferably in association with each closed loop of a stabilizing bar providing a securement point upon attachment closing of the strap or locking of a lock. The straps can be made of a suitably non-abrasive material and/or suitable padding or protecting coating can also be provided on the straps, locks and/or stabilizing bars in those areas where bike frame contact is possible.
In addition (or alternatively) to providing straps with the stabilizing bar(s) a strap is provided in a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction or as a replacement or a supplement to a wheel cradle. In a preferred embodiment, each cradle is provided with a closeable strap (VELCRO(copyright) fastener or buckle connector etc.) which is used about the side rail and the tire rim at the tire contact point with the side rail.